Electrically powered filament trimmers are well known devices used for cutting grass, weeds or the like. Such trimmers comprise hand-held implements which are held by a standing operator with the lower end of the trimmer adjacent the ground. A filament trimmer head rotatably mounted on the lower end of the trimmer stores a supply of flexible filament line. When the trimmer head is rotated about a substantially vertical axis by an electric motor contained in a lower housing, an outwardly extending free end of the line is stiffened by centrifugal force and is effective to cut grass, weeds or the like at a height of cut determined by how closely the operator positions the lower end of the trimmer adjacent the ground.
Electrically operated trimmers of this type are manufactured in a partially broken down form that must be assembled by the user prior to the first use of the trimmer. For example, one or more handle tubes typically comprise the middle section of the trimmer connecting a lower housing and an upper handle. The lower housing typically mounts the electric motor that powers the filament trimmer head, and an electrical cord runs from this motor upwardly through the handle tube(s) to the upper handle to terminate in an electrical plug. The operator generally has to assemble the handle tubes together if more than one is provided, and has to insert the top and bottom ends of the handle tubes into the upper handle and lower housing to assemble the components of the trimmer and make an operative unit.
While the use of separate disassembled components allows prior art trimmers to be packaged in boxes that are smaller than the overall height or length of the trimmer, the trimmers known to date have not attempted to configure such components to minimize the size of the box. For example, if a single handle tube is used extending between the lower housing and upper handle, this handle tube is usually considerably longer than either the lower housing or upper handle, with the end result that the minimum length of the box has to conform to the overall length of the handle tube. Accordingly, the box sizes in which many prior art trimmers are packaged for shipment and sale, even for trimmers that are broken down into separate components, are generally larger than is desirable. This is a disadvantage given the space constraints that most merchants face for storing such products prior to sale or in the retail selling area.
The box size can be potentially decreased by making the middle handle tube in more than one section. However, this requires that such separate handle tube sections be aligned end to end and secured together as part of the assembly process. This increases the effort required to assemble the trimmer. Also, any fasteners passing through the handle tubes could possibly damage the electrical wiring. Thus, the use of a handle tube made from multiple sections is not considered to be as desirable as a single handle tube.
Another problem known with prior art filament trimmers involves the electrical cord that runs down through the handle tube to carry electrical power to the electric motor mounted in the lower housing. Even when the components of the trimmer are in their disassembled state, this cord is still intact and is simply bent as it extends from one disassembled component to the next. When the handle tube is inserted down into the lower housing, the extra length of cord needed to span between the components when they are disassembled has to be pushed down into the lower housing during the insertion process to hide the extra cord length inside the lower housing when the trimmer is fully assembled. This extra cord length can be up to 6 or 8 inches, or possibly even more, depending on how much the components are spaced apart when they are disassembled.
It can be difficult in most known trimmers to push or stuff this extra cord length into the lower housing. The cord does not travel down into the lower housing in a controlled manner, and can kink or bend prior to all of the extra cord length having been received in the lower housing. Since the kink will often occur inside the lower housing where it can't be reached, this often results in the trimmer being returned by the buyer to the dealer with the complaint that the trimmer can't be assembled. In addition, if the operator is not careful during this process, he or she can damage the cord. Thus, the known assembly process is difficult at best and can result in damage to the cord even prior to use of the trimmer, requiring that the cord be replaced. Obviously, this is a disadvantage of known trimmers.
An extension cord is typically used to extend from the electrical plug on the trimmer to a fixed electrical power outlet to carry electrical power to the trimmer during use. Since such extension cords are often quite long, e.g. 50 or even 100 feet, a considerable drag force, arises from the weight of such a long cord as well as its being dragged along the ground. This drag force tends to pull the cord out of the plug.
To help overcome this problem, many prior art trimmers have incorporated various devices for helping to lock the extension cord to the trimmer, usually simply by carrying most of the weight of the cord, in an attempt to keep the extension cord in place. However, most prior art cord locks known to the Applicants are difficult or inconvenient to use, or add additional parts, and thus additional expense, to the trimmer.